Scarred Bonds
by smylealong
Summary: What starts as an exchange between two friends slowly morphs into something that neither was prepared for. Sometimes bonds that last a life time form over a scar. Post-war Zutara. Two-shot
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: A new, two-shot story. The story is written completely and I shall update the next chapter next week. It was an idea that has been in my mind for a while and had to be written. Just some Zutara fluff. A couple of things about this story, Iroh is at Ba Sing Se and that's why he only finds a mention here instead of a role. Also, there's at least a month or two of gap between each letter, so the total timeline of the story is about one and a half year._

 _Please read and review._

* * *

 **SCARRED BONDS  
PART 1**

Whoever said that the Fire Nation didn't know how to celebrate, had been telling the truth. Even after several rounds of fire whiskey, the stiff nobles hadn't managed to get rid of the sticks up their collective behinds to actually converse a little. Had it not been for some of the Earth Kingdom dignitaries and the Water Tribe representatives, the party would have been a study in boredom.

Swathed in blue silk, Katara sat in one corner, her eyes absently tailing the newly crowned Fire Lord and his knife wielding girlfriend, Mai. She idly wondered about Zuko, who had gone from being the slightly crazed prince who chased them around the world with a dogged determination to a friend whom she could trust. He was a man for whom she would gladly go to fight. Life sure had a funny way of unfurling.

But at that moment, she was looking at him with eyes of a healer. The wound he had taken to his chest had very nearly killed him and Katara had been of the opinion that he shouldn't be having this party at the moment. But Zuko, being Zuko, had overridden all her objections and had gone ahead with the party. His logic was that people have had precious little to celebrate over the century. He couldn't rob them off this very legitimate chance because he was _slightly discomfited_.

And that, in Katara's opinion, was the understatement of the century. He ought to have been in agony. He had taken a lightning bolt straight to his chest and it had almost killed him. For a few gut wrenching moments, while she had been fighting the crazed Fire Princess, Katara had been convinced that it had killed him, for he had completely stopped moving.

She had cried out in relief when she had felt a weak pulse. From there on, Katara had spent her days in a feverish haze, trying to heal Zuko. He would not... Could not die. Not under her watch. When, three days later, he had opened his eyes briefly, Katara had let grief, relief and exhaustion take her over. She had collapsed.

That had been ten days ago. Now, as she watched, Zuko settled down on a chair, his movements were slightly strained but his face betrayed none of the pain he must have been under. As if feeling her eyes on him, he turned to look at her. Their eyes met and he smiled. A small, genuine smile and she felt her own lips tug in response. As though he heard her unasked question from across the room, he mouthed "I'm fine."

With a nod, Katara tore her eyes from him. She cast a look around the hall, trying to pick out her friends from the crowd. Aang was with Bumi, both of them laughing over something. Some way off, Toph was sitting next to her mother, clasping the woman's hand in a grip so tight, it must have hurt her. But to Poppy Bei Fong's credit, she didn't flinch. Katara couldn't find Sokka and Suki anywhere. She had a shrewd suspicion as to why they were conspicuously absent.

Satisfied, Katara picked up her glass of wine, only to realize that it was empty. Sighing, she walked over to the wine fountain (yes, they had a fountain of wine! Ingenious folk!) to refill her glass.

She pulled back her long, wide sleeve so that it wouldn't dip in the wine and began to fill her glass when a titter reached her ears. Something about that laugh raised her heckles.

"Did you see that?" A feminine voice sounded somewhere to her right. "That scar? How horrible! Poor thing won't even be able to catch a man's eye."

Even Katara, who was often called naïve, couldn't mistake those words for sympathy.

"As it is she's so dark," another one said. "And so broad."

"And no manners."

"The scar just makes it so much worse."

For a moment, Katara wanted to bend the wine on to those two catty girls' dresses and ruin their fine silks. But then, she decided the better of it. _Let them talk_ , she thought. _That's all they can do, speak_.

But words had the power to hurt even the most battle hardened warrior. Even as she walked back to the spot of her solitary vigil, those hurtful words gnawed at the back of her mind. Whispered words clawed at her heart, leaving her slightly suffocated.

Suddenly, sitting at the chair, watching her friends enjoying the party didn't appeal to her anymore. Looking around, she spied a door that led to a balcony. A backward glance at her friends assured her that they were all otherwise occupied and that she wouldn't be missed.

Downing her wine in two large gulps, Katara set the empty glass on a table, not caring who was sitting at it, and walked out of the door. The cool night air welcomed her and she took a deep breath, letting relief flood her.

Below her, Fire Nation was celebrating. Really celebrating. Not the stiff lipped farce that was on inside the marbled halls, but real, heartfelt celebrations. The sky was filled with multicolored fireworks and snatches of various songs floated through the air.

Standing hidden in the shadows, Katara's fingers traveled to the scar on her right forearm- a legacy from her fight with Azula. A stray finger of flame had singed her skin during the fight but she had barely registered the pain. In her determination to save Zuko, she had neglected her own wound and by the time she had turned her attention to it, skin had closed and so had her window to heal herself. It was going to leave a scar. An angry, amorphous mark that dominated her right forearm, its fringes spreading on her hand as well.

"The party too boring for you?"

She'd recognize that raspy voice anywhere. Smiling slightly, she turned to look at the Fire Lord who walked over to stand next to her. "Nothing like that. Just stepped out for some fresh air."

"It's okay Katara," Zuko chided mildly. "You can say it's boring, because it is. Mai has said it at least ten times."

Katara sniggered. "It's your coronation party Zuko. Shouldn't you be inside?"

"If I have to listen to another nobleman telling me how fortunate it is that I'm keeping the dragon's pulse alive, while at the same time telling me how Ozai was a true dragon, I will barf. I needed fresh air too."

The two friends stood in companionable silence for a few heartbeats, watching the citizens celebrating. "Some of the Fire Nation nobility can be rather cruel, right."

Zuko snorted. "You have no idea."

"Actually, I do," Katara responded, without thinking. But then bit her tongue. Zuko had been very guilty when he had realized that Katara hadn't healed herself because she had been taking care of him. He didn't need to know the catty remarks that had unsettled her.

But of course, because the universe hated her at that point, the normally oblivious Zuko caught on. "Has someone said something to you?"

"It's nothing, Zuko."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Says the guy who can't lie," Katara scowled.

"Takes one to know one," Zuko answered smoothly. "Besides, I grew up with Azula, a professional liar. You are many things Katara, a liar is not one of them. So out with it, what happened?"

"It's just something someone said, it sort of got under my skin."

"Who?"

"I don't know, some girls. That's not important."

"Okay. So what did they say?"

Katara huffed. "They just said something about my scar and... and..."

"It hurt."

"No Zuko. I mean yes it hurt, but more than that. I don't know. I can't explain. Anyway, you wouldn't understand," as soon as the words left her lips, Katara winced.

Zuko's voice dropped to a whisper, " _I_ wouldn't understand?"

"Sorry! So sorry. That's not how I meant it."

"I know you didn't," Zuko replied calmly. "I also know what you are feeling Katara. There's an anger and you don't know what to do with it. There's a new sense of self consciousness. All you can think of is how people see your scar. It's become your identity and it bothers you to no end. You're no longer Katara the Master Waterbender. Not Katara, Avatar's Waterbending teacher. Not Katara of the South Pole who defeated the Fire Princess. At this moment, all you are, is Katara the scarred girl, am I right?"

Katara looked at him, stunned. He had succinctly summarized the emotions she had been feeling, even though she herself did not fully understand them. Unable to speak, she nodded.

"I know Katara. It's a bad place to be in. But trust me when I say this, the scar doesn't define you. It's your badge of honor. Your war medal. Don't look at it as a blemish for it's not that. It's a proof that you fought against the best Firebender of our generation and lived to tell the tale. Wear it proudly. Who cares what anyone else says? They're not the ones wearing it. You are. You decide what it means for you, no one else does."

Unbidden, tears came to Katara's eyes, and her lower lip trembled.

"Shit! Are you crying? Agni! Even when I am trying to be nice, I can't. Ugh!"

Despite herself, Katara laughed, confusing the Firebender even more. "Why are you laughing now? Are you drunk?"

Katara wiped her tears and stopped laughing. "I'm not crying Zuko. Your words did actually help me. Thank you. I have to ask though, how did you go from silver sandwich to this?"

He groaned. "Sokka told you? Can't that oaf keep his mouth shut? That was embarrassing."

"Me and everyone else. Toph is waiting to use it on you."

Zuko's expression of pure terror made her laugh again. "I will kill Sokka. I won't even use fire. I will strangle him with bare hands."

After a moment of silence, Katara reached over and put a hand over his.

"Thank you Zuko. You really helped me. I feel much better now. I don't know how you could say exactly what I needed to hear, but you did. Thanks."

His smile was the shy response of someone unaccustomed to compliments. "Thanks. I... I mean... Yeah... Personal experience helps."

Katara had to suppress the urge to reach up and ruffle his hair, just so that he could resemble the shy, awkward boy she had come to think of as family. Dressed in this regalia, he looked nothing like that boy. Now he looked like a man, a prince, a leader.

"Congratulations again Zuko. You have earned it."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

"Write to me, okay."

Zuko nodded.

"And take things slow now. You're still recovering."

"Yes mam."

"You'll be alright."

"I don't think so."

"I know so."

He shrugged. "I'll take your word for it. Safe journey."

"Thank you."

The two friends gave each other a brief hug before he stepped back inside the party. The next day, Katara sat on Appa with Aang, Sokka and Suki. She took one last look at Fire Nation as the bison took them higher and higher.

* * *

Two months later:

Katara was at the South Pole, working with some benders from the North Pole. Together, the Waterbenders were rebuilding and rehabilitating the South Pole. Katara was standing with two other benders, erecting the perimeter wall when a man shouted something about a messenger hawk. The bird circled above their heads once before landing next to Katara, letting out a caw. Noticing the Fire Nation insignia on the scroll, she pried it out gently.

"Who is it from?" Tyruk, one of the two benders asked, looking over her shoulder Tyruk was a young, good looking man who was obviously interested in her. But he wasn't, as Toph would have put it, the sharpest tool in the shed. She had dropped many hints about her disinterest but none of them were taken.

Katara unfurled the scroll and smiled, "Zuko."

Tyruk's eyes widened, "You were telling the truth when you said you're on first name basis with the Fire Lord."

Not dignifying that with a response, Katara put the scroll in her parka and excused herself. She had no desire to have her personal letter being read by prying eyes. Inside the privacy of her igloo, she brought out the scroll and began to read.

 _Katara,_

 _You asked me to write to you, so here I am, writing to you. Although, to be honest, I have no idea what to write. I have a rather sketchy history with letters. I wrote one to uncle when I was with you all at the Western Air Temple, but Sokka's stupid bird never delivered it. To date I have no idea what happened to that letter._

 _The other letter I wrote was to Mai. On the day of the Black Sun. I wrote to tell her that I am breaking up with her. Yeah. True story._

 _So given my stupendous success with the medium, don't expect anything. Things here have been chaotic and very confusing. I swear, every day I sign so many documents, it feels like my arm is about to fall off. Yet, somehow, it manages to stay on. Ozai always made it seem like being the Fire Lord was something phenomenal. He was wrong about this too. Who knew?_

 _The day after you all left, the entire Bei Fong family had a big showdown. Lao Bei Fong was screaming himself hoarse and Poppy was in tears. Toph kept trying to tell them about who she was and what she has done but all they could_ _see was their blind daughter. It was very frustrating to watch. I had to intervene and break them up or else Toph would've probably brought the whole palace down and I would be homeless. I have never seen Toph cry but she did that day. So much._

 _I won't bore you with politics that dominates my days now. In any case, I hope you're doing well and the reconstruction is going well. Let me know if you need anything. Till next time._

 _Fire Lord Zuko_

Katara read and re-read the letter, a small smile playing on her lips. She had never imagined that Zuko would actually write to her, but she should have known he would. He always kept his word. Rolling the scroll, Katara put it in her trunk, the one place where she kept her most precious belongings.

A comb Aang had given her, her old water sack, the Waterbending scroll she had stolen from the pirates, a scarf she had purchased from Earth Kingdom and a few other knick-knacks that she had collected in her journey. But most importantly, it contained letters. Letters from her friends from all over the world. There was one from Haru, a couple from Teo (he was an enthusiastic letter writer, for sure). One was from Aang who was now in the Eastern Air Temple, where along with Guru Pathik, he was beginning the arduous task of rebuilding his civilization. The two of them were in search of people who would be willing to become monks and pick up the remains and reinstate the lost civilization. Sokka's scribbled note from Kiyoshi Island was also in the trunk and now, Zuko's surprisingly long letter joined the pile.

With utmost care, Katara closed the trunk, formulating a response in her mind, when suddenly her eyes shone with gleam that was highly reminiscent of a blind Earthbender.

* * *

Zuko took a deep breath and exhaled, dimming the fire in him. He picked up a towel and began wiping off the sweat when he heard the footsteps of an approaching servant.

"My Lord, we received a letter for you."

Nodding Zuko held out a hand and waved the man off. He was aware that any letter he received would be screened by the external affairs department. Although it had rankled him at first, but then he figured no one would be writing him personal letters and had agreed to the condition. However, seeing the Water Tribe symbol, he regretted signing the contract. If Katara knew someone else had read the letter, she would be furious. Upon opening the scroll though, his features morphed into a frown.

 _Respected Fire Lord Zuko,_

 _I am so honored you chose to write to me. I find myself falling short of words to describe how humbled I feel upon receiving your communication. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for someone of your stature to take time off your busy schedule to write to me. On behalf of the entire Water Tribe, I thank you deeply and sincerely._

 _With the most humble regards,_

 _Katara of the Southern Water Tribe_

Zuko scratched his head, completely flabbergasted. He read and reread the letter, trying to understand what it was that he was missing, when it suddenly occurred to him that she might have used an invisible ink to hide the true contents of the letter. Struck by the sudden inspiration, Zuko lit a flame under the letter and waited for the text to appear. Nothing happened.

He let out an annoyed huff, smoke curling out of his nose. Crunching the letter in his hand, he strode over to his study. He must have looked menacing for several people scurried out of his way. As usual, his desk was full of official documents, divided into two neat piles. With a single swipe, he pushed off all the documents and procured a fresh paper. Picking up a quill he quickly wrote the five words that were on top of his mind.

 _Katara,_

 _What the hell?_

 _Zuko_

* * *

Life as Fire Lord was one unending stream of complete chaos. Every day there was a crisis that he needed to solve. Even though the war had ended, the troops stationed all around the world were still returning home. With each new wave of returning soldiers, the problems of housing them and providing for them increased. Besides there was the issue of finding employment for these young men and women who were suddenly out of a job. To make matters worse, the nobles who had profited of the war were getting anxious because suddenly, their cushy lives were threatened. And to top it all up, there were a few Ozai loyalist who weren't too happy that Zuko was on the throne.

All in all, Zuko found himself stretched thin. His day would start at sunrise and continue way past midnight. More often than not, he would return to his chamber and collapse on the bed without even changing his clothes. However, on the rare occasion that he found a moment or two to himself, Zuko found his thoughts going to the rather odd letter that Katara had written to him. He couldn't, for the world of him, figure out what had prompted her to write a letter like that. In one way, he was thankful that she had written something like that for it was the most innocuous letter that the external affairs department could read. After that letter, and upon the realization that his friends might need to use an invisible ink, Zuko had gone on to issue an instruction that letters from his friends were personal and that he would not appreciate them being scanned.

Five weeks after he had penned that annoyed response, a servant brought Katara's unopened scroll to his chamber at night. Zuko set aside all his work and grabbed the scroll, welcoming the respite. Ignoring the parchment he had been reading, Zuko opened the letter.

 _Zuko,_

 _Now there is the person I know! I wrote that letter since you signed off as Fire Lord Zuko. How obnoxious is that?_

 _Honestly though, I never expected you to write. I can't tell you what a big surprise it was to see the messenger hawk landing next to me. Which brings me to the first letter you wrote. Serves you right for choosing Sokka's bird to send a letter. I doubt there has been a single letter that that bird has delivered. And you broke up with Mai over a letter? Yikes! And she didn't make a Princely Shish Kabob out of your royal behind? Lucky you!_

 _I know what you mean by working so much that you feel like your arms are about to fall off. I have been bending almost all day long and muscles I didn't know existed have started to ache. To make matters worse, I seem to have attracted the attentions of this Northern Waterbender, Tyruk. By La! He's so annoying. Hints don't work on him. I even told him that I'm the Avatar's girlfriend, but he doesn't believe me. Since he has not seen Aang, he thinks I'm lying. He doesn't believe that I did everything I say I did. In his worldview, women can't do these things. Idiot!_

 _Oh poor Toph. She's so strong and powerful, wonder why she can't stand up to her parents and just tell them what she wants to do? I can't imagine Toph crying. It must have hurt her so bad. I wish they would see Toph for who she is and not who they think she is._

 _Something tells me that you're working way too hard and not really taking care of yourself. Please, do eat. And remember, you are still recuperating. Please do take care. Don't overexert yourself._

 _Thank you so much for the generous offer. I will take you up on it when the time comes._

 _Katara._

 _PS: I think Sokka is planning to propose Suki. I find crumpled sheets of paper in his room that have several 'designs' drawn on them. I do hope when he does carve the necklace, it's slightly better than the drawings that I see._

 _PPS: How're thing with Mai?_

* * *

 _Katara,_

 _I should have known I did something stupid. It's just that I sign off so many letters as "Fire Lord Zuko" that it doesn't even register anymore. Thanks for bringing that to my notice. I shall now be doubly careful while signing off._

 _As you may have noticed, my 'royal behind' is in perfectly working condition. So no, Mai didn't make Princely Shish Kabob out of me. She just had me arrested and dumped in Boiling Rock, leaving me at the tender mercy of her jailor uncle. Sweet girl._

 _While on Mai, things with her are a bit… strange at the moment. I honestly don't have time to spend with her, and she understands that. Or at least she says she does. But I feel like there's something missing. I wish I could tell you more but I haven't spoken about this to anyone and I don't even know what is wrong. But I feel like we are both talking but we are not communicating. I don't know if all this is in my head or if this is really happening but I feel as though she doesn't understand who I am. She knows the person I was before I was exiled. But I am not that person anymore. I don't know if I can even show her who I am now._

 _Anyway, I'm rambling. You tell me, how's Aang? He's in Eastern Air Temple now, right? How is it going for him? He'd said he would write to me when he found time, but I am still waiting for a letter from him. I think I should send a letter to him._

 _Speaking of Aang, who is this moron, Tyruk? Does he really want to incur the wrath of the Avatar? Besides, you're a Waterbending Master. Put him in his place, firmly. Freeze him there for good measure._

 _You know, I think I understand what Toph feels. Sometimes, standing up to your parent is the toughest thing to do. It took me a burn, six years and an exile before I could do it. Give her time. Toph isn't one to take things lying down. She will fight back._

 _Relax, I am taking care of myself. I hope to hear good news on Sokka's front soon. Oh, and I hope you are no longer depressed about that scar in your hand, are you?_

 _Regards,_

 _Zuko._

Katara sighed, curling herself into a ball. It was the third time that she had read Zuko's letter and she still felt a sort of emptiness settle within her. Zuko had had a very tough life and he, of all people, deserved to be happy. The fact that he was having problems with Mai, was something Katara didn't like. Pulling her pelt closer, Katara wondered what she could possibly say to him about it when Sokka peeped in.

"There you are! I have been looking all over for you. What're you doing lying here in the middle of the day?"

Katara sat up and hid the letter under her pillow. It wasn't as though she didn't want Sokka to know that she was exchanging letters with Zuko. But, for some reason, she felt that what Zuko had shared was extremely personal and that was not something she wanted Sokka to know. Sokka's sharp eyes, however, caught the action.

"What're you hiding? Is that a love letter from Aang?" Sokka walked in, waggling his eyebrows.

"Your powers of perception is stunning, Sokka," Katara rolled her eyes. "Why were you looking for me?"

Sokka settled down next to her, looking slightly pensive. "Katara, I… I want to ask Suki… if she… you know…"

"If she would marry you?"

Sokka nodded, unable to say anything. Knowing his anxiety, Katara draped an arm across his shoulder and said, "Sokka. Suki loves you. Why would she say no? Take it from a girl, she is waiting for your proposal."

His blue eyes lit up. "Really? Are you sure?"

She nodded, giving him a small squeeze. "Go for it, seal tiger."

Sokka grinned. "And what about you? Whose letter were you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding it, but it is my letter. I just don't want anyone else to read it."

"Hey, not everyone reads other people's letters. Not everyone is like you."

With a scowl, Katara slammed his face with a water jet.

* * *

The little kids imitated Katara's action as she showed them how to pull water up. It was a basic up and down motion but an important one for a beginner as it helped them connect with their element and feel the push and pull of water. She explained how to feel the element and how to pull it. The children followed her motions but out of the seven in front of her, only three got the water to lift. One managed to slosh the water a little and another succeeded in creating a ripple in the bucket. The other two, however, couldn't do anything. It was more than she had hoped for.

"That's perfect," Katara said, clapping her hand in joy. "Very good. Now, shall we try again?"

One of the two kids who had not pulled at the water, pouted jutting her lower lip. "I can't do it, Sifu Katara."

"Of course you can," Katara said with a smile. "Water is not like Earth that requires you to stand up to it. It's not like Fire that needs your breath and it's not like Air that requires you to be light. Water is life. You have to flow with it. You feel it in you. Water listens. You just have to feel it, that's all. Now try again."

The lesson continued for another forty-five minutes, by the end of which, all the seven had pulled at the water. Congratulating every one of them, Katara walked out of the little arena situated outside the village where she and a couple of others taught the kids Waterbending. As she headed towards the village, Tyruk caught up with her, making her suppress a groan.

"Hello Katara," Tyruk said, walking up to her. "There was something I wanted to tell you."

For a moment, she was tempted to do exactly as Zuko had told her to and freeze him, but she realized he was a waterbender as well and quite a good one at that. He could unfreeze himself easily.

Taking her silence as his cue, Tyruk stepped close to her. "Katara, here."

She looked at what he was holding out and her worst suspicions were confirmed. In his hand, he held a betrothal necklace.

"Tyruk, I have told you, several times, I'm Aang's girlfriend."

The man laughed. "I have heard you say that, but where is the Avatar? Why has he not given you a betrothal necklace yet then? How can he let his woman be alone?"

Annoyance shot through her and without thinking, Katara raised both her arms and froze him into a block of ice, ensuring that his hands were trapped in such a way that he couldn't bend himself out.

"Now listen to me once and for all, and I am not going to repeat myself. I don't like you. I don't want to marry you. I love Aang and he is the one I will be with. Thank you. Don't approach me again."

She stormed away, ignoring his pleas. Just before reaching her village, she dropped her hand, unfreezing him. Sometime during the whole event, she had figured out her response to Zuko.

 _Zuko,_

 _Sorry for the delayed response, but I had a tough time trying to decide to what to write. I was very sad to read your problem with Mai. I was wondering what you could do to solve it and I think I have found a perfect solution. Take a small holiday with her. You said you are having communication issues, so I would suggest you both to go for a couple of days to a place where you both are not surrounded by people. Go somewhere where it's just the two of you and talk your issues out. It will help. I would suggest Ember Island._

 _Yes, Aang is in Eastern Air Temple. If it makes you feel any better, Aang doesn't send me too many letters either. All this while and I got only one letter so far telling me that he reached safely and that he would write when he has time._

 _You know, up until now, I wasn't doing anything about Tyruk because I didn't want to jeopardize the relations between South and North. A lot of the Northerners aren't too happy about the fact that the South played a more important part than them. I didn't want to give them another reason to hate us. But today, that moron tried to give me a betrothal necklace. Now it was personal and what a girl does upon being given a betrothal necklace is entirely her prerogative. No one will have a problem that I froze him. No one except Tyruk that is. And I don't particularly care what he thinks._

 _I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to stand up to Ozai. I have never had to do something like that so I wouldn't know what it must be like. I just assumed that it'd be easy for her. Yet again, as with my scar, you showed me how emotionally mature you are. And don't be worried about my scar. Thanks to you, I am getting used to it now. Maybe because I now see it differently._

 _Thank you Zuko. Not just for my scar but for everything that you have done. I have never really realized how much you have sacrificed for us. Going against your family, against what you were taught all your life, against everything you always believed in._

 _I never told you this, but back at Western Air Temple, I was mad at you for being Fire Nation. All my hate, my rage, and my wrath- I targeted towards you. Without thinking. I never once paused to think what it must have cost you to switch alliances back at Ba Sing Se. And for that, I apologize._

 _Katara_

 _PS: You might be getting Sokka's wedding invitation soon._

* * *

Zuko stared at the paper, quill poised above it, unsure of what to write. Katara's letter had touched him and he had no idea what to say to her. How was one supposed to react to a letter like that? What had started as a humorous exchange between two friends had now turned into something a lot more serious and private. Once again, Zuko was thankful that he had stopped the ministers from reading his personal letters, for he had no desire for the content of this letter to be read by his subjects, His eyes fell on the beautiful but very basic invitation of Sokka's wedding and a thought struck him. He dipped the quill in ink and began writing.

About forty days later, a Fire Nation airship landed in the snowy tundra of the South Pole. The doors opened to reveal the Fire Lord who was dressed warmly. Amid a small procession of Firebenders, he descended the stairs to come face to face with the two chiefs of the Water Tribe, Hakoda and Arnook. The three men bowed to each other as three leaders. Next, Zuko turned to the Avatar and they bowed. But then, surprising everyone present, Aang jumped to pull Zuko into a bear hug.

"Nice to see you again, Sifu Hotman."

"Stop!" Zuko groaned, pulling himself from Aang's grasp. "You do that again and I will set your robes on fire."

"I'm really scared now," Aang replied, grinning widely.

Sokka walked up to the two and butt in suddenly. "Stop hogging all the attention Aang. Let me greet my favorite jerkbender."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "You honor me, Sokka of the infinite wisdom."

In response, Sokka punched his arm. Instantly the ten Firebenders accompanying Zuko took a firebending stance. With a tired sigh, he lifted a hand, telling them he was fine.

"You'll have to excuse them. They take their duty of protecting me rather seriously."

"Because they clearly have not seen you fight," Toph's voice came as she walked to him, guided by Suki, making Zuko grin.

"Well, technically, neither have you. Congratulations Suki."

The Kiyoshi Warrior smiled in response.

"True," Toph conceded. "But I have seen you in my own way, which I can't do here, in this block of ice!"

"That's my home you're talking about Toph," Katara's voice made him looked up. However, as Katara walked up to them, something strange happened to Zuko. All of a sudden, his breath whooshed out of his lungs, making him gasp. From the corner of his eyes, Zuko saw Aang turn to look at him, concern writ large on his face. But for some reason, Zuko couldn't take his eyes off Katara who was smiling at him brightly.

"Zuko? Are you okay?"

Aang's voice broke the strange daze, and Zuko blinked, trying to clear the buzz in his mind. "I… I think the cold is starting to get to me."

Katara, who had reached their group by then, hooked an arm through his. It must have been the dry air of South Pole that caused the spark down his arm, Zuko reasoned. After all, he had met Katara dozens of times before this. There was no reason for him to feel this way around her. It had to be the freezing temperature. He allowed himself to be dragged away by his friends, hoping that no one saw his momentary lapse of control.

* * *

Water Tribe weddings were a loud, noisy affair, something Zuko hadn't expected of the people of water. The wedding itself was a short, private ceremony to be attended only by the next of kin, so he had not been privy to it. But the post wedding ritual was a sight to behold.

The men sat around in a big circle, stomping their feet and singing a song that, given their laughs, Zuko suspected was rather bawdy, even though he didn't understand the words.

The women danced around a roaring fire, clapping their hands to the beat of the song. The sway of their hips, the open, flowing hair and the graceful moves of their hands made for an erotic display. On some level, Zuko was glad that the kids had been sent to their respective igloos after the elaborate meal, for this dance was clearly unfit for the innocent eyes. In fact he was half tempted to reach over and close Aang's eyes.

Zuko's own eyes were, much to his disconcertion, trailing Katara as she twirled and swayed. She leaned to the left and clapped, twirled around and then leaned to the right to clap. Following a swirl of her hips, he couldn't help but notice had grown wider, curvier. There was a smile on her lips as she sang the women's part of the song, keeping her place in the slowly moving circle, while her hair fluttered in the wind. It was the most sensual thing he had ever seen.

As she danced, she met his eyes and raised her eyebrows in greeting. Zuko managed a smile in return, but he suspected it looked more like a grimace, given his current predicament.

 _Get a grip, Zuko!_ He chided himself. _She's your friend, you can't think like this._

* * *

Katara sat on her bed, running a comb through her hair. Having danced for hours, she was exhausted and was looking forward to a long, blissful sleep.  
"Katara, can I come in?"

Her head jerked up. "Aang! Come in, come in."

The Airbender walked up to her, a small smile playing on his lips. He perched on the bed next to her.

"How have you been?"

"I'm fine, Aang. Busy with the reconstruction. How about you?"

"I'm well. Guru Pathik and I have been working very hard, trying to teach the new recruits the way of the acolytes."

"That's great, Aang, that's great."

The two of them fell silent for a moment. Katara tried to think of things to say and for some reason, she couldn't come up with a single thing to say. This was the first time that she was truly alone with Aang. While the war was on, she had always had something to talk to Aang about, but now, with the war over, Katara could not come up with anything to say to him.

"So? The marriage was quite something, huh?" Aang said, after a period of uncomfortable silence.

"Oh yes. It was. I am so happy for Sokka and Suki."

"As am I," with that the two fell silent again. After a while, he said, "You must be tired after all that dancing. I will let you sleep."

Aang leaned forward and took her lips in a gentle kiss. Katara closed her eyes, waiting for the fireworks to begin, as they had on that balcony in Ba Sing Se. She waited and responded to the best of her abilities, but nothing happened. The tip of her nose itched, and Katara found her thinking about the itch rather than the kiss.

Aang pulled from the kiss and gave her a tentative smile before beating a hasty retreat. Alone in her room, Katara sighed.

"You're one to give relationship advice," Zuko's voice sounded from the door.

Katara turned around and scowled. "You were eavesdropping?"

Zuko held up his hands in an action of surrender. "Didn't mean to. I was coming to give you something when I saw Aang and you kissing. I would've left but the chill between the two of you was worse than South Pole."

Katara sighed and held her head in his hands. "I don't know Zuko. I don't know what to do. I couldn't think of a single thing to say to him."

He walked in and took the place occupied by Aang mere moments ago. "Maybe you should try and heed your own advice then, right?"

"Which is?"

"Go for a holiday with him. Reconnect with him."

Katara sighed, rubbing a hand on her face. "Did it work for you?"

"I don't know," he answered after a thoughtful pause. "When I offered, she didn't accept it."

"What? Why?"

Zuko shrugged. "I have no idea. She just said, 'later maybe'. I didn't bring the topic up again."

"Oh!"

"The idea was good though," he added hurriedly. "Just because Mai wasn't interested, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it."

"I will. I assure you."

"Good work on Tyruk, by the way."

Katara grinned. "He hasn't approached me since." She paused for a bit before asking, "How did you like the wedding?"

Zuko's cheeks took a pinkish tinge as he said, "It was…uh… good."

"Good? Just good? You didn't like the Water Tribe food, did you?"

"No, no! It was…bracing."

Katara raised her eyebrows, amused. "Bracing? Okay. I'll take that as a compliment. So what didn't you like? The song and dance?"

Zuko's good cheek proceeded to match his clothes. "That dance… Your dance… it was…it was very…uh…sensuous."

Katara felt her own cheeks warm up. "Oh! Ummm… thank you? I guess."

He brushed the back of his neck awkwardly "Yeah. I… I should go."

At those words, Katara felt a stab of disappointment. Awkward as the conversation was, she didn't want Zuko to leave. He stood up and was about to leave when she reached out to grab his hand. Maybe it was a Firebender thing, but she felt a warmth engulf her where skin met skin. His beautiful golden eyes held an unasked question.

"You said you were here to give me something?"

"Oh yeah!" he said, without prying his hand off hers. He reached into his red coat with his other hand and procured a scroll. "My next letter."

Inadvertently, her lips drew to a smile. "Zuko, you're right here. Why do you have to give me a letter?"

"Katara," he was probably unaware of the small circles his thumb was drawing on her hand. She decided she liked it. "There are things here, in this letter that I will never be able to say to you out loud. Your last letter… I can't… Just read this and you will understand."

Nodding, she accepted the scroll.

"Please, read it after I'm gone. I leave tomorrow morning."

Katara stood up abruptly, unaware of how close the action brought her to him. Absently she registered that he had grown an inch or so taller than the last time she had seen him, making her tilt her head up to see him. "So soon?"

"I have a nation to run," he answered in a low whisper.

Without thinking, Katara stood on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. "I will miss you. Somehow, you've become my best friend."

He smiled. The transformation that single action wrought was unbelievable. Gone were the hard edges, the frown and the weariness on his face. Looking back at her was arguably the most handsome man she had ever seen.

"Thank you Katara," he was saying. "Those words mean a lot to me. For what it's worth, you're my best friend as well."

Katara threw her arms around him, burying her face into the crook of his neck. There was a slight hesitation before she felt his arms going around her waist. The fact that the hug lasted longer than was strictly necessary as friends was ignored by both.

* * *

 _Dear Katara,_

 _If all goes to plan, I should have given this letter to you personally. This is not a letter I would want to be intercepted or read by anyone else. And that's why I want to give this to you personally._

 _I should have told you most of what you need to know. In this letter, I will exclusively address the last part of your letter, the Western Air Temple and what it cost me._

 _First of all, you don't have to apologize. Really. I figured it must have been something like that. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't upset by the way you behaved, but I don't hold it against you. Never have and never will._

 _You have to understand, Katara, that when I came to you all, I was still very much the Fire Nation Prince. To be very honest, I was surprised that I hadn't received more animosity than what I did. Agni knows I deserved it. To me, you were telling me the words Uncle should have been telling me, because I betrayed him as well._

 _Why should you have trusted me? What did I do till then for you to trust me? Up until then, I had always been your enemy. You had no idea what had happened to me_ _that brought me there at your doorstep, begging for mercy._

 _You speak about what it cost me to be there. I can't even begin to explain. Where do I even start? Perhaps at the beginning? Katara, what I am about to tell you, I have never spoken about it to anyone. I don't know why I'm telling you, but I think it's because I trust you. I know I can say what I have always wanted to say to someone but never could. But now I want to tell someone about it. I want to get this burden off my chest, and who better than you to tell all this to?_

 _It all began when Uncle lost Lu Ten and that broke his spirit. He gave up on the siege of Ba Sing Se and was returning home in 'disgrace'._

 _Ozai wanted the throne but my grandfather wouldn't betray Uncle. I don't really know what happened after that, but Azula overheard Azulon telling Ozai that to know Uncle's pain, he had to go through the same. Ozai was ordered to kill me. No one except Ozai knows what happened that night. All I know is that my mother did something to protect me and for that, she was exiled. Azulon was dead and Ozai was on throne._

 _Things were bad after that. I tried and tried to get Ozai's approval. But I failed, always. Azula was better, always. But you know me, I don't give up. I couldn't. So for the next three years, I tried and failed._

 _Then, one day, I pestered Uncle into letting me attend a war meeting. Uncle made me swear that I would stay quiet, but keeping my mouth shut isn't my strong suit. At the meeting, a General was proposing to use a battalion of new recruits as bait. I protested. And for speaking out, I was told to fight an Agni Kai._

 _I thought it would be the General I would fight. Instead I was facing Ozai. How could I have fought my father? I begged for mercy. For refusing to fight, and for begging, Ozai burned and exiled me. I was told that the only way I could return home was with the Avatar._

 _And that's why I was so bent upon capturing Aang. Back at Ba Sing Se, when Azula offered to take me back home, the temptation was too great to refuse. And I just couldn't. I chose them over everything else._

 _Back home though, nothing felt right. I had everything with me. I was welcomed home a war hero. I was the Crown Prince again. I sat next to Ozai, could give my inputs to war meetings. I was in the lap of luxury and I had Mai with me. I was the son Ozai wanted but I wasn't me._

 _And so, on the Day of the Black Sun, I left Fire Nation and followed you all to the Western Air Temple. Rest, as they say, is history._

 _So you asked me, what it cost me to be there at the temple. I don't know. Everything? Nothing? Something? No idea. You decide._

 _All I know is that it was the best decision of my life._

 _Zuko._

As always, Katara lay on her bed as she read Zuko's letter. By the time she finished the last line, she was in tears. She wanted to reach out to her friend and hug him. She wanted to run her fingers along his hair, whisper words of comfort in his ears and take away all his pain. But she couldn't. All she could do was hold the scroll to her bosom and cry. And cry she did. All night.

* * *

Next morning, she was at the kitchen with her grandmother, when Hakoda walked in. unknown to Katara, the two adults exchanged a worried look for her swollen eyes and her frizzy hair had not gone unnoticed. Following a nod from Kanna, Hakoda began to speak.

"Katara, are you feeling alright?"

She turned to look at her father, "I'm fine Dad. Why do you ask?"

"You look pale and your eyes are swollen," Sokka, who had been sitting at the table, spoke up. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were crying,"

Somehow Katara managed to keep a straight face as she looked at her bother, "Why would I be crying?"

"Oh I don't know," Sokka said sarcastically. "Maybe because Aang is leaving today?"

With a rude jolt Katara realized that she hadn't thought of Aang even once since he had left her room two nights ago. Since then all her thoughts had been occupied by Zuko. Even though he had left at the crack of dawn yesterday, Katara's mind had dwelled on the conversation she'd had with him in her room. Not only had she not sought Aang out all of yesterday, she had not even thought of him.

Without responding to her family, Katara shot out of the kitchen and ran to the big snow building that housed all the esteemed guests of the South Pole, a sickening feeling coursing through her. The cold air bit her skin, her indoor clothes not thick enough to block out the wind. Ignoring her own discomfort, Katara walked in, paying no heed the annoyed hiss of a couple of Northern Tribe men.

She ran to Aang's room and knocked on his door.

It was a while before the bleary eyed Avatar opened the door and looked at her, confused. "Katara?" his voice sounded groggy.

Wordlessly, Katara flung her arms around him, tears prickling her eyes.

"Katara?"

"Aang, I am so sorry."

The young boy was confused as he patted her back. "Uh…what? Why?"

"I… I should have come to visit you yesterday."

Aang drew back, very gently pulled her into the room and made her sit on the bed. He knelt in front of her and grabbed her hands. "Don't worry about it Katara. Even I didn't come to see you. Did I?"

"Aang…What's happening to us?"

The Avatar sighed and looked down. "I don't know Katara. I really don't know."

"This was not how I had thought things would go."

Aang nodded, "I agree. When I got together with you, I thought we will be so happy."

"But… But things aren't…I don't know."

"Katara," Aang said, sitting next to her. "As much as I hate to say it, maybe… maybe this isn't meant to be."

A lone tear dropped from Katara's eyes. "Aang, I… I am sorry."

"No Katara, it's not you or me. It's us. Honestly, if I had been with you in South Pole, or if you had been with me at the Air Temple, maybe things would have been different. But as things are now, I don't know. It's not working out."

"I love you, Aang."

"I love you too Katara," he said.

"But not romantically," she added.

Aang nodded.

"How are you taking all this so calmly?" she wondered, watching her own trembling hands.

The thirteen year old shrugged. "I don't know. I think a part of me always knew it wasn't meant to be. That's why I was so possessive of you. I was determined to make this work. But when I went to Eastern Air Temple and you were here, I began to realize that I'm still me even when you are not around. That somehow, I had pictured that you were my pillar. But when I was dealing with things even without you. I think I knew. Even though I didn't really admit it to myself until now." After a brief pause, Aang looked at her. "You will still be my friend, right Katara?"

"Of course Aang. Nothing changes between us."

"Thanks." He stood up and stretched. Suddenly he turned to look at her, his grey eyes gleaming with mirth. "Maybe the Ember Island Players did get things more right than we thought."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: The response I received was overwhelming to say the least. I am touched, flattered and honored. Thank you so much. Just so you know, I have 2 other Zutara fics, one is a humor/crack fic (The Deal) and the other is a dark, political fic that's ongoing. Please do take a peek at those as well._

 _To all my beautiful reviewers, you guys rock!_

 _Special thanks to Mammai for looking over the fic and iron out the inconsistencies. And for giving me the idea about Chit Sang. I loved it!_

 _At one point in this chapter, there will be a change from Zuko/Katara POV to Sokka's POV. I felt it was needed and it added to the story._

 _As usual, R &R_

* * *

 **Scarred Bonds  
Part 2**

It had been a couple of months since Zuko had returned from South Pole. The brief hiatus had served to refresh him, but upon returning, he had dive back into the break neck schedule. The weariness that had dissipated thanks to his trip had returned in full force. The endless litany of complains that his nobles and courtiers presented were enough to drive him crazy. With his Uncle away at Ba Sing Se, Zuko often found his nerves frayed by the end of the day.

Somehow, amid all of that, Katara had become vital. She had become his confidant.

Their letters had become more and more frequent. They had now moved to telling each other almost everything. She was the one he spoke to about the insecurities that plagued him, keeping him up at nights. He told her about his futile search for his mother and Ozai's relentless silence on the topic. She was the only person who knew how troubled he would get every time he visited Azula. He told her almost everything. Almost. There were, of course, things that as the Fire Lord, Zuko was required to keep a secret and he did.

But there were other, more personal things that he could not tell her. He could not, for example, tell her that she was the first thought he had every morning and his last thought before he fell asleep. He never told her how anything blue would remind him of her. He had never found the right words to tell her how, every time he was faced with a crisis, he would pause and think how Katara would react and then do exactly that.

He hadn't told her how he had followed her with his eyes throughout his brief stay in South Pole. He had kept his errant thoughts about her beauty and her blossoming figure to himself, immensely grateful for Toph's dulled senses in the 'hunk of ice'. He hadn't told anyone about his silent mental celebration at the news of her and Aang's break up. He was glad that Uncle was not around to pry, for these thoughts were private. They were meant only for him. No one was allowed to know them. No one.

Zuko didn't know what these feelings were nor did he care to examine. What was the point anyway? It wasn't meant to develop into anything. As far as he knew, Katara only viewed him as a friend. Any thoughts outside the bounds of friendship were his and his alone. He would be what she needed him to be, a friend. The closest friend, but a friend nevertheless.

Zuko's relationship with Mai had reached an all-time low. Without ever meaning to, they had drifted apart to the point that neither had anything to say to each other. He couldn't even remember the last time he had sat down with her for a meal. While they had not said it in as many words, they both knew, that their relationship had fizzled out.

Zuko entered his study and was about to sit when his eyes fell on a scroll kept on his desk. It was tied with a blue ribbon, a letter from Katara. Unaware of the small smile dancing on his lips, Zuko picked up the scroll and unfurled it reverently.

 _Dear Zuko,_

 _Letters are going to be a little infrequent now. We're preparing for the winter. Winter in South Pole can be hazardous and as a Waterbender, I'm going to be very busy trying to keep things going. Primary among them is ensuring that the newborns and the old people stay alive. Easier said than done._

 _Something funny happened the other day. You remember Tyruk? That idiot who had tried to give me a betrothal necklace? Yeah, him. He came in to our house to discuss something with Sokka. This was the first time he saw me without my gloves and I swear his eyes almost fell out of his sockets at the sight of my scar. Sokka had a fit and almost kicked him out of the house._

 _This is Suki's first winter here. She's a little scared. I told Sokka to take her away to Kiyoshi Island, but Suki apparently refused. The brave warrior that she is, she insisted that she wanted to spend the winter here. I have never seen Sokka look more proud. His chest must have swelled with pride. Personally, I'm glad that she chose to stay. It's a solidarity like none other. Although I am a little afraid for her. Not seeing the sun for months on end can be distressing, but I am going to help her in whatever way I can._

 _The reconstruction is almost over, just some final touches left, which should be completed by the time this letter reaches you. Looking forward to your letter._

 _Love,_

 _Katara._

Zuko leaned back, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had never really given a thought about Polar Winters but from what he read in Katara's letter, it sounded ominous. He remembered his Uncle telling him that winters were one of the biggest reasons why Fire Nation had never managed to have a prolonged siege at the Poles. Sun would disappear for months, weakening the Firebenders to no end. Zuko shuddered at the thought. Not seeing the sun for months? That would drive him insane. He needed to do something. He needed to help.

* * *

Days were getting progressively shorter and shorter, while the chill increased exponentially. Wrapped in her parka, Katara added seasoning to her broth and tasted it, nodding when the taste satisfied her. Standing next to her, Suki was warming her hands on the fire. Katara could hear her teeth chatter.

"Suki," Katara said kindly. "Go and sit next to the fire. You'll feel better."

"I'm fine," she replied with a smile. "I can't let you do all the work all by yourself, can I?"

"I'm not alone. You do help. But really, I've got this. You go."

Suki looked like she was about to argue, but whatever she was planning on saying died on her lips, for Sokka barged in, his eyes bigger than saucers. "The… you… you guys should come and see this."

The two women exchanged a worried look and followed him. The sun was dipping at the horizon, and bitter cold winds greeted them. All three of them pulled up their masks to avoid getting frostbitten and marched to where Sokka was pointing.

It was a little difficult to see at first, given the fog, but when Katara did see it, she wondered how she had missed it in the first place. Standing in front of her was an enormous Fire Nation ship. Alongside the Fire Nation flag, it also sported a white flag with the symbols of all the four nations drawn on it, the sign of peace. Several others had also noticed the ship and had come to investigate. The prow lowered and a man descended, trembling at the cold. Spotting Sokka, the man bowed.

"Master Sokka, greetings from the Fire Nation."

"Uh. What is this?" Sokka asked, displaying his usual lack of tact.

"This is a small gift from the Fire Lord for his friends to help them through the coming difficult times."

Katara exchanged a puzzled look with her brother and sister-in-law. Meanwhile, the man raised his arm and gave a signal. The Water Tribe watched nonplussed as bundles after bundles of blankets, kindling and dried food was brought from the ship. In addition, the men also delivered some medication and mattresses made of pelt.

"What? Why is Zuko sending all of this?" Suki asked, voicing the thought that was on everyone's minds.

"Master Suki," the man said, bowing to her. "The Fire Lord wanted to ensure that your first winter here was as comfortable as possible. The Fire Lord also wanted to make things easier for Master Sokka and Master Katara."

Behind her mask, Katara smiled. Trust Zuko to do something like this. Suki, however, was very flustered. "That… that is so nice of Zuko."

"It is, isn't it?" Sokka said, thoughtfully.

* * *

Later that night, the three sat around the fire, having their dinner. Hakoda was at Kanna and Pakku's igloo.

"It was surprising to say the least," Suki was saying. "I mean I'm glad that Zuko thought of me, but I'm confused too. He and I are not really that close. We have barely spoken to each other since the war."

"Yeah," Sokka added, his mouth full of food. "He said he wanted to help us during a difficult time. But the point is, Katara and I have grown up here. This is not really our first winter."

Katara brushed his concern aside. "Stop over-analyzing things, Sokka. So Zuko sent a gift for his friends, big deal."

"Look, I don't have a problem with him giving us gifts," Sokka explained. "My problem is the extravagance of it. I mean, if he was worried for Suki, he could have sent a couple blankets and some food. Right now, he's sent enough for the whole tribe and then some more!"

"And that is a problem how exactly?" Katara shot back. "He's thinking about everyone here. You just _need_ to find faults with him. Nothing he does is ever good enough for you."

With a huff, Katara picked up the empty bowls and strode over to the kitchens. She did not notice the husband and wife exchange looks.

* * *

"So," Sokka said, elongating the 'o' as he settled in his bed next to his wife. "Is it my imagination, or did that really happen?"

Suki wrapped an arm around his waist, burrowing into him for warmth. "Oh it happened alright. Do you think she realizes it?"

"My sister?" Sokka laughed. "No way! It took an uninvited kiss from Aang on the day of Black Sun for her to realize that Aang had a crush on her. And the whole bloody war to be finished before she realized that she had a crush on him as well. I doubt she has any idea about what's happening this time."

"Oh so it runs in the family," Suki joked, earning a 'hey' from her husband.

"Seriously though, Zuko? Of all the people in the world it had to be him?"

"Sokka, no matter who it was, you would have a problem with the guy."

Sokka scowled. "Hey, I had no problems with Aang."

"That's because you viewed him as a kid. To you, they were just children playing house or something. Sweet, innocent and harmless. But Zuko? He's a year older than you and therefore, a man. They are not kids and that is your problem."

Sokka grinned. This woman knew him inside out and read him like an open book. He gave her a long, lazy kiss before he pulled back. "Maybe I should talk to dad about it, right?"

Suki looked skeptical. "I don't know Sokka. We shouldn't interfere. Let things happen as they may."

"Nonsense. I'm talking to dad. I won't mess things up, I promise."

* * *

 _Dear Zuko,_

 _Thank you so much for those gifts. When I told you about the winter, I certainly wasn't expecting this. So touched. It was a lovely gesture, Zuko and it would go a long way in helping our tribe. People are so happy and comfortable. I am grinning like an idiot as I am writing this. You didn't send me a letter though, but this act is so beautiful, I will forgive that tiny lapse. Sending this letter with your men._

 _Love,_

 _Katara._

* * *

A few days later, Katara was working at mending a pelt when a knock sounded at her door. Looking up, she found her father peering in, a tentative smile on his face.

"Dad? Why are you standing there? Come in."

Hakoda walked in. He had a strange aura of nervousness about him that was unusual. "How are you these days, Katara?"

She shrugged. "You know, the usual."

Hakoda nodded. "Good, good. Katara, you're fifteen now. Soon, in a few months, you will be sixteen."

"Yes, dad," Katara said, unsure of where this was headed.

"So Sokka spoke with me a couple of days ago," Hakoda said, scratching his chin. "He reminded me that you're now almost a woman."

Katara finally lost her patience. "Dad! Quit going around in circles and please tell me whatever it is that you're trying to say."

Hakoda sighed. "Katara, Watertribe girls get married at sixteen. I wanted to tell you that it's time we start looking for your groom."

Katara's eyes widened. She felt like she had swallowed a snowball. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but nothing came out.

Her father mistook her silence as agreement and nodded. "I am going to send out invitations to the Northern Watertribe men. There are several good, strong warriors in there. I am sure one of them would suit your taste."

He put a hand on her head, his eyes brimming with love and pride. "When did you grow up so much, my little princess?"

In the face of his love, Katara was unable to say anything and she watched in silence as he pecked her forehead and walked out. In the silence of the room, everything he had said dawned on Katara and her eyes narrowed.

* * *

"What the hell, Sokka?" she screamed without preamble as she barged into her brother's room later that evening. Sokka, who had been involved in a steamy make out session with Suki, looked up confused.

"Katara!" he yelled, straightening himself. "You can't come into my room like this now! I'm married."

"Sorry about that Suki," Katara apologized to her sister in law, who brushed it aside with a wave of her hand. "And Sokka, after what you have done, I'm not giving you any consideration."

Suki looked at her husband with a scowl. "What did you do?"

Sokka shrugged. "No clue! What did I do?"

"You told dad that I should get married?"

Sokka's grin was pretty smug. "Oh that? Yeah. I told him that now that I am enjoying marital bliss, I can see that you too need company. And who better to provide it to you than a _hot_ husband. Must say, dad is pretty smart to have caught my drift."

Suki slapped her forehead as Katara fumed. "Yes, dad _caught your drift_ alright. He's looking for my _husband_ now! Ugh!"

"So?" Sokka asked, still not seeing the problem. "You will be sixteen soon, and proposals will start coming in soon anyway. Better to take a preemptive measure, right?"

"Sokka!" Katara said, trying very hard to control her flaring temper. "Do not interfere in my life. You have done enough damage as it is."

Without waiting for a response, Katara spun on her heels and marched out of his room. She could hear Suki berating him but at that moment, she couldn't feel any sympathy for her brother. Striding into her own room, Katara had but one prevalent thought, what was she going to tell Zuko?

Katara didn't know how, but Zuko had managed to creep into every single thought of hers. Anything interesting that happened, she would store it in her memory to write to Zuko later. She couldn't fall asleep till she had written everything to him. Every time someone said something to her, Katara would wonder what his reaction would be. Would he laugh at a joke that Sokka cracked or if he would roll those golden, mesmerizing eyes? Would the success of her latest pupil make him smile? Katara found herself thinking of ways to make him smile.

Zuko had become a part of her. She could tell him everything without the fear of being judged, she knew that he accepted her for who she was. He had become the person she could trust blindly. She had laughed and cried at his words. Teased him and had comforted him. He had become as important to her as air. A silent presence, never seen but always felt.

Not only had he taken over her waking thoughts, but he had stamped his authority over her dreams as well. And what dreams they were! Most of them involved the two of them talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company but not all were so innocent. Katara's cheeks colored at the memory of some of the more explicit dreams. Those dreams she kept a secret. A truth buried deep within her, never to be told to anyone. In fact, half the time, Katara wouldn't even admit to herself that she had seen them, let alone share them.

But at that moment, she could not fathom out how to tell this to Zuko. What was she supposed to tell him? How was she supposed to tell him that her father wanted to get her married? Somehow, it felt to her like a betrayal. Not of her trust, but of his. It was inexplicable but she had the distinct impression that if she allowed this to happen, she would somehow be betraying him. She had no explanation why she felt the way did, but she did.

"No!" she said to herself, wiping off the tears that had come to her eyes without her realizing. "I can't let this happen. I have to stop dad."

A glance at the darkened household told her that everyone had fallen asleep and so she decided to speak to her father the next day.

* * *

Zuko was worried. Two of his letters had gone unanswered. He understood that the harsh winter was still on and so she was probably swamped, but it was unlike her to have not answered. He had made up his mind to give her two more weeks. If he didn't receive a communication from her in that time, he would board a warplane and head south, the rest of the world be damned. Three months! He had gone three whole months without a word from her and his nerves were frayed. He snapped at anyone who made the slightest of slips. He knew that his staff wondered about the change in the Fire Lord's temperament, but he just couldn't bring himself to calm down.

The only good thing to have come out of his irascibility was that he had finally, truly broken up with Mai. It had happened over a moderately private luncheon. Fed up of constantly dancing around the issue, Zuko had snapped at her, demanding to know what was going on. It was the first time that he had seen Mai lose her cool. She yelled back at him, accusing him of neglecting her. The remaining attendees had filed away as quickly and quietly as they could, for no one wanted to face the furious duo. Accusations flew back and forth. Zuko blamed her of being emotionally unavailable while she pointed out that he loved Fire Nation, his people and his duties more than her. She was a distinct fourth in his priority list, if that. In the end, the two agreed to part ways for good.

Zuko lay on his bed, his exhausted body demanding sleep but his mind was in a tumult. He simply could not focus. The issues that demanded his attention were numerous but Zuko's mind would keep circling back to the Waterbender who hadn't written to him. It was frustrating to say the least. With a flick of his wrist, Zuko dimmed the torches in his room and turned to sleep. He closed his eyes and was trying to clear his mind when a low knock sounded at his door.

Instantly, all the torches flared. Zuko shot up in his bed and screamed, "What?"

"Sire, a letter for you. From the Watertribe."

In an instant he was at the door. He wrenched it open and almost snatched the scroll from the terrified boy's hand. The look of unadulterated fear on that boy's face made him pause. Zuko's face softened and he forced himself to smile.

"Thank you," he said in a sincere voice. "Both for the letter and for reminding me something important."

The boy looked up confused, muttered something and almost scampered away. Inside his room, Zuko reined in his wayward temper. The fear in that boy's eyes had reminded him of the way people used to look at Ozai. When he had taken the throne, Zuko had sworn to himself that he wouldn't be like Ozai. The nameless boy had reminded him of his oath to himself. In the room, Zuko resolved to himself that he would not worry about Katara, for it was changing him as the Fire Lord. It was his shortest lived resolve, for it crashed the moment he read the scroll.

 _Zuko,_

 _I'm coming to Fire Nation._

 _Katara_

Zuko's eyes bugged out as he read the letter a few times. His mind painted numerous scenarios because of which she'd be headed to Fire Nation, but he couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. Zuko spent the next three weeks torn between anxiety and elation.

* * *

Katara got down at the docks to find a somewhat familiar face waiting for her. A man she knew to be Zuko's trusted aide, but for the world of her, she couldn't remember his name.

"Good afternoon Lady Katara," the man said, bowing. "Jee at your service."

"Lieutenant Jee! Thank you. How did you know I was coming today?"

The man smiled. "I didn't. Per the Fire Lord's command, I've been waiting for you here every day for the past four days."

"Oh!"

While Katara tried to wrap her head around how ridiculous Zuko could get at times, Jee scribbled a quick note and sent it with an irritable looking bird. That done, he led her to a cart that waited some distance away.

Fire Nation was bustling with activity. Everywhere she looked, people moved about their daily lives, oblivious to the cart passing through the city. During the war, Katara's mind had painted Fire Nation citizens as bloodthirsty, power hungry monsters. But now, she viewed them as humans who had had the misfortune of being led by a despot.

Eventually, the cart rolled into the royal palace. Jee escorted her to a room in the guest quarters. "You have had a long journey and must be tired. Please rest up, Lady Katara. The Fire Lord will meet you in the evening. He is caught up in some work."

Katara gave a nod of understanding and walked into the room. She lay down on the bed and was asleep in minutes.

* * *

Katara sat in front of the mirror, coming her hair when a knock sounded on the door. Somehow she just knew that it was Zuko and the thought made her heart skip a beat. There was a slight, almost imperceptible tremble in her hand as she put her comb down. A look in the mirror confirmed that she was as presentable as she could hope to be at that late hour. The knock sounded again, patient and drawn out, as if he knew that she was dallying. Swallowing the sudden lump of nervousness, Katara walked over to the door and opened it.

Zuko stood there, looking handsome as ever. His hair had grown longer and he had the faint shadow of a stubble, which made him all the more attractive in Katara's opinion. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the slightly sunken quality of his cheek, a testament to how hard he worked.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me or are you going to let me in?"

Snapped out of her thoughts, Katara smiled sheepishly and stood aside to let him in. Zuko stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Alone with him for the first time in months, Katara found her throat going dry. She knew she should explain her sudden appearance in the Fire Nation, but all she could think of was that she was with him. That all she had to do was raise her hand and she'd be able touch him. She fisted her hands in her gown to avoid doing something stupid like touch his face.

"So," he said when she continued to remain silent. "How was the journey?"

Glad to talk about something other than her unhealthy obsession about him, Katara jumped at the topic. "It was good. Boarded an Earth Kingdom ship from South Pole to Tenga, and then took another ship from Tenga to here."

Zuko nodded and walked over to sit on the bed. "You scared me."

Katara's eyes widened, unsure of how to reply. When he patted the spot next to him, she mutely walked up and sat next to him.

"Sending a note like that. After three months of complete silence, you just tell me Zuko, I'm coming to Fire Nation. Do you have any idea how terrified I was? I kept thinking what could have possibly gone wrong."

Although he had not raised his voice, Katara realized that he was angry. "I'm sorry Zuko, I got so caught up in a mess, that I never paused to think how it was effecting you. I'm really sorry."

"What happened?" he asked, in the same flat voice.

"I'm going to be sixteen in about a month."

"So?"

"So, girls in my tribe get married at sixteen."

"Oh!"

Katara stood up, her agitation getting better of her. "Yes. And thanks to Sokka's brilliant intervention, Dad is now looking for a groom for me."

Caught up in her anxious pacing, she didn't notice the look on his face. "I tried to stop dad, but by then he had already spread the word and to back off then would have seriously undermined his position as a chief. So, for three months I bore with the Northerners ogling at me like I'm an art piece on display! Three months! After that, I'd had enough. I told dad that if one more man came up to me, flexing his muscles and telling me how many penguin seals he'd killed, I'm going to break the South Pole ice cap. Then, to get away from the whole mess, I boarded a ship and came to you. I mean how could I marry just about anyone? Don't I get a choice about who I want to marry? Isn't it possible that I might have someone in mind?"

She turned to find Zuko smiling slightly, looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. The sight made her heart skip a beat and she hoped that the flush on her cheeks weren't noticeable.

"Do you have someone in mind?"

Katara bit her lips, wondering what to say. "I… I'm… It's just a figure of speech. I… was…"

Zuko looked like he was pondering her words. "So you don't have anyone in mind?"

"I… I didn't say that!"

He shrugged. "I really don't know what you're saying. Do you want to get married?"

"I do," Katara answered, playing with the ends of her hair. "I do want to get married, but not to a Northern Waterbender. Those men are sexist pigs. And I will most certainly not marry a non-bender."

"Why?"

Katara blushed a little as she said, "Madam Wu once told me that I will marry a powerful bender."

"Madam who?"

"Madam Wu, a fortune teller in Earth Kingdom."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Really?"

Katara shook her head. "I know how it sounds, but what I am saying is, since then, I've sort of made up my mind that I would marry a bender. A powerful one."

He nodded in understanding. "Sit down will you? You're making me dizzy with all this pacing."

She scowled but sat down nevertheless.

"Okay," Zuko said, pulling his long legs up on the bed and resting his back against the headboard. "So if you don't want to marry a Northern Waterbender, and given that the South doesn't have any other Waterbender, maybe we should look at Earthbenders?"

Katara's eyes widened. "Earthbenders?"

"Yeah. That guy, Haru. He's a powerful enough bender, right?"

"No!" Katara replied aghast. "I mean yes, he's a powerful bender, but I can't marry _him_."

He looked at her questioningly. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

"He's got better hair than me!" Katara replied much to Zuko's amusement.

"And," she said, overriding his guffaw. "I don't like his mustache. It looks like something has grown on his face."

Zuko's chuckles died and he said, "Okay, fair enough. But Earth Kingdom is huge. I'm sure there will be someone good enough for you."

"Look," Katara said, exasperated. "The most powerful Earthbender I know is Toph. And I am definitely not marrying her."

"Agreed."

She pulled her legs up and mirrored his posture, leaning against the footboard. "I'm not marrying an Earthbender. Stubborn, hardheaded idiots."

Zuko scoffed. "You're one to talk."

Katara didn't dignify that with a response, just threw a pillow at him which he dodged effortlessly.

"Okay, moving on from Earthbenders then," Zuko said conversationally. "There's only one Airbender left, and you broke up with him."

"It was mutual," Katara replied in a droll voice. "Things weren't working out."

"Yes, which leaves Firebenders."

Suddenly, it dawned on Katara that she was in dangerous waters. If Zuko continued on this path, he would find out the truth that she had hidden deep inside. All of a sudden, her impulsive dash to Fire Nation seemed like a really bad idea.

"Ummm… Maybe we should call it a night, Zuko. I am tired," she faked a yawn, hoping he would catch her drift. No such luck. His raised brow told her that he had seen through her pathetic attempt at changing the conversation.

"Let's see the Firebenders you know, shall we?" Zuko said. "I think we can safely rule out Aang, Jeong Jeong and Uncle, right?"

Katara felt as though a mini tornado was raging within her. He was closing in and she had no idea how to wiggle out of the situation.

"How about the third Firebender you know. Chit Sang? Do you want to marry Chit Sang?"

The storm raging inside Katara came to an abrupt halt. She stared at Zuko as if he'd lost his mind. "Are you insane? Eww."

Zuko's lips twitched, but then his golden eyes pinned her to her place, making the storm start anew. "That only leaves one person, doesn't it?"

It was as if her whole body was on fire. Unable to face his molten gaze, Katara slid off the bed and resumed her pacing, her heart running faster than a rabaroo. "I'm sorry Zuko," she said, her voice trembling. "I know things were not supposed to go this way. I don't even know when or how, but it happened. You're my closest friend, closer than anyone ever has been or ever will be. Before I even knew what was happening…"

Zuko's soft laugh interrupted her and she spun around. "What?"

"You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"Huh?"

Without a word, Zuko climbed down the bed and strode over to her. Katara's mind was devoid of all thoughts and she watched him, nonplussed. He stopped in front of her, standing close, very close, making her heart beat wildly. Nothing in the whole world could have prepared her for what happened next. Zuko pulled her into an embrace, his chin resting on top of her head.

"I've been worrying myself silly over nothing," he said, tightening his embrace. "I thought I was the one breaking the bounds of friendship."

Katara couldn't believe what she was hearing. She needed to be certain that he was saying what she thought he was saying. "You mean… I… What do you mean?"

Zuko pulled back a little, his hands still on her waist. "I'm not good with words Katara, so allow me to show you what I mean."

With one finger, he lifted her chin and kissed her gently. Katara threw her arms around him and opened up to him completely. The fireworks that she had been waiting for erupted within her as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Coming to Fire Nation was the best idea she'd ever had.

 **The End**


End file.
